Curiosity Did What?
by DeBrabant
Summary: SEQUEL TO: Sunset Consultants / Willow finds a certain business card, and goes to check it out...


Curiosity Did What?  
By Danii  
Summary: Willow finds a business card and goes to check it out...  
Disclaimer: I own no one. Not Willow, Tara, or anyone else in this story. Not even Jeremy!   
Distribution: You actually want this? Sure, just put my name on it and tell me...  
Rating: G-PG  
Ships: Canon  
During the summer after season 4  
XOVER: It is with the same movie from "Encounters of the Odd...Kind" and "Sunset Consultants" which I posted the other day: "Love Bites"  
NOTE: This is the third in a planned series of "encounters" with Zachary in which every Buffy character I feel like writing (meaning I might just leave Riley out...) meets up with him individually, and nobody tells any of the others about this oddball...  
  
And now:  
  
"This book is boring..." Willow said to herself as she closed the offending piece of literature that sat on her lap, "Even Giles would have to admit this is boring..."  
  
She had been reading for the last hour or so, trying to catch up on her witchy learning during the summer when she actually had time for it. Tara was with her, reading a similarly thick and dusty book on the couch next to her. The redheaded witch suspected that her girlfriend's book wasn't all that interesting either. But they had nothing else to do.  
  
Just then, something caught her eye. A business card, left on Giles' desk. Willow moved slightly, then picked it up, the bright colors of a sunset on it a nice change from the musty book. Then she read the card aloud.  
  
"'Sunset Consultants: The Finest In Mundane and Otherworldly Business Consultants. Zachary Simms, 131 North Walker Street, Sunnydale, CA...'"  
  
Tara looked up to her. "What did you say?"  
  
"Nothing..." Willow said quickly, not quite sure of why she hadn't told Tara about the card.  
  
"Okay." Tara replied, and then went back to peacefully reading her book.  
  
Meanwhile, Willow's head was spinning with thoughts. An occult consultant? And right near Buffy's house? She didn't know whether to be worried or overjoyed. She'd never heard of an occult consultant (at least not one with such bright and cheery business cards) and she sort of wanted to go see him.  
  
Willow had a plan. She wanted to open a computer company that specialized in occult work. She's heard from Cordelia that there was a definite market for it, and a distinct lack of good work in the area, and the idea fascinated her. Building web pages for supernatural businesses. Exorcising computers. Dispelling on-line hexes. However, despite all the classes she was taking in business for the next year, she had no idea how to start.   
  
"Maybe this man could help me out?" she murmured to herself, just quiet enough for Tara not to hear. It was her plan, something she wanted to do with the blonde witch, but she had so little planned out, and so didn't feel comfortable telling her about it. It was still a dream, instead of a plan. She didn't want to get any hopes up other than her own. But maybe this guy could help her transform the distant dream in to a positive plan.  
  
"Tara," Willow said, getting up from the couch carefully, "I'm going to go out and get us some food, okay? Dinner."   
  
"Okay, Willow..." the blonde answered, taking her head out of the book for a moment to look at her girlfriend, "See you in a few..."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
And with that, Willow walked out into the twilight, toward the house that might help her with her dreams.  
  
##  
  
She got there a few minutes later, with no incidents, for which Willow thanked her Goddess. The redhead had the necessary safety precautions of a stake, cross and holy water, but she was glad she hadn't had to use them. She was nervous as it was.  
  
There was the sign, a cheery and bright copy of the picture on the business card. And the door was open. Willow didn't think that was necessarily the smartest thing to do in Sunnydale, but she figured that an occult consultant would know what they were doing. She stepped in.  
  
The room was comfy, in bright colors that somehow worked despite the distinct danger of gaudiness when working with them. Willow noticed a small toy on the floor, near a door to what had to be the Simms' home. It was an airplane.   
  
"He must have a little boy...how cute..." Willow murmured beneath her breath.   
  
"Jeremy...ees got to stop leaving his tooys...erond..." came a voice from the office on the other side of the room, an area that was currently behind her. Willow spun, nearly falling from the torque, then saw who had spoken.  
  
'Dark hair...blue-green eyes...kinda cute...looks a little like a young Giles' ran through the young witch's mind, followed by, 'and falling asleep...' From the fine things in the office, Willow knew that he had to be good at his job, but she wondered how he was that good if he feel asleep on the job. And why did he have his hands crossed over his chest like a dead body?  
  
"Hello?" Willow said tentatively, "Are you Mr. Simms?"  
  
The man woke up, sputtering and shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. The witch tried not to giggle at the amusing scene. "What? Yes! Huh? Who are you, Madame? And how may I help you?"  
  
Willow walked closer. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Fine, Madame..." the man who Willow assumed was Zachary Simms, "Just...may I help you?"  
  
"I'd like some help in planning out how to start a computer company which works in the occult..." the young woman answered with an almost embarrassed expression.   
  
"You're here for business?" Zachary asked, his eyes getting clearer every minute while the light from the nearly set sun disappeared even more, " Thank God! So far, all I've gotten are the hungry and confused..."  
  
Willow giggle nervously. "Business..."  
  
"Thank God!" he cried to no one unparticular. Then he got an ashamed look on his face. "Oh dear. I'm going to get in trouble for being loud this early in the night..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I can just hear Kendell yelling at me for disturbing Jeremy's sleep...and Ris is going to be distressed that I have upset her beauty-sleep...as if she's gotten a wrinkle in 400 years..."  
  
"HUH!?"  
  
Zachary turned to Willow with an odd expression, which then turned apologetic. "I'm so sorry...my problems, not yours...Something I have to deal with if I want to open before nightfall..."  
  
"Before nightfall?" Willow asked, her mind trying to catch up with this man's quick switching-of-topics. What an oddball...  
  
"To be honest, being a vampire, I don't really wake before nightfall very well..." he said as if he was telling her he had a cold. Willow stared. A vampire. She was in the home of a VAMPIRE!?  
  
"Oh dear...I've upset you, haven't I?" Zachary asked, his face falling as he observed the shock on hers, "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I'm not like the type you have here. Don't kill anyone or anything. Haven't ever tried to start the end of the world...kinda quiet, actually..."  
  
Willow stared.  
  
"Oh please...you've lived here for what, you're entire life and you have trouble believing something?" he asked, getting a little aggravated. Even Dwight took it better than this girl was, and she looked to be a good bit more intelligent.  
  
"Yeah, well..."  
  
"If I wanted you dead, don't you think you'd be dead?" he countered whatever idea she had begun. It made sense. It truly did. Not that Zachary had ever killed anyone. Ever. Hell, if he found a spider in his house, he would catch it in a cup and release it!   
  
"Well..." Willow said with a nervous titter, "Maybe you're just trying to get me so that you can keep me as bait!"  
  
Zachary slumped. She wasn't listening. She was stuck. Did he really have to do it that way?  
  
"Madame...would you care to look into my eyes and then tell me I'm trying to get you killed?" He hated to hypnotize people, especially clients, but if it was the only way to calm the girl...  
  
She did as he had asked, and he immediately had her.   
  
"Calm down..." he said in a gentle voice, guiding her body to a chair, "You are all right. You are fine. I won't hurt you. Nothing bad will happen to you here. I'm a vampire, but not like the ones you know. I'm just a businessman...now, please, normally? Tell me why you came?"  
  
"I told you. I'd like to start an occult-based computer company..." Willow repeated, her voice reflecting the awakening of her mind from Zachary's powers, "I just don't know how..."  
  
He looked up as if in silent prayer, then looked her in the eyes, his blue-green orbs filled with an ambitious gleam. This was what he knew, what he lived for. Why he had never tried to live off of his savings.   
  
"All right..." he said, pulling her chair nearer to his desk, "Now, I'm going to waive the fee for this since I got you so upset with my offhanded remark (which I hope you will keep to yourself?)"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"And start you on your way. Now, what was your name, Miss?"  
  
"Willow Rosenberg."  
  
He smiled, and Willow could feel her cheeks warm. True, she had a girl friend, but this guy was cute. Besides, no harm in it since he was married, as could be seen from the ring on his finger.   
  
"Nice name..." he told her, "Now, what kind of capital do you have to start with?"  
  
##  
  
Willow left an hour later, a folder of various booklets in her hand, along with Mr. Simms card. She was smiling. She now had a plan. A plan for her future; her future with Tara. All because of Zachary Simms. But she couldn't say anything about it. Not only didn't she want anyone to know about her plans, but she also didn't want anyone to go Slayer on Zachary, who Willow had found to be a brilliant, and very nice, man. So it would remain her delicious little secret. She hoped she could keep it.  
  
Meanwhile, in the house, Zachary was cleaning up his desk. Ah, another to addition to the set, he thought. A sweetly nervous witch, to be put on his mental shelf next to the nonplussed Slayer and the hungry demonic vampire. What a great little town. He was starting to understand Nerissa's interest in this hamlet on the Hellmouth, and now he began to wonder...  
  
"Who's next?"  
  
The End   
  
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